“It was a scary scream,” Ozen said. “It was kind of freaky. There was a lot people screaming back to shore.”

Manhattan Beach Police Lt. Ryan Small said local police and firefighters aided Los Angeles County lifeguards with an "ocean rescue" Saturday morning and said one man was taken to a hospital.

Small would not confirm that the man was bitten by a shark or comment on the extent of his injuries. A representative for the L.A. County Fire Department, which oversees the lifeguard program, was not immediately available for further comment.

Ozen said other surfers started paddling out to help the victim back to shore as officials cleared everyone out of the water.

Laura Joyce / goofyfootphotography.com

A swimmer bitten by a shark near the Manhattan Beach Pier is carried to safety on July 5.

A swimmer bitten by a shark near the Manhattan Beach Pier is carried to safety on July 5. (Laura Joyce / goofyfootphotography.com)

“I saw blood on his right rib,” he said. “He was a little bit in shock."

The attack follows a series of shark sightings in the area. Last month a great white shark was spotted swimming ominously close to paddleboarders in Manhattan Beach.

A great white shark was also spotted chasing a sea lion along LeadBetter Beach in Santa Barbara, prompting a beach closure.

A shark sighting in Manhattan Beach last year prompted authorities to close El Porto Beach. Lifeguards cleared the ocean after a shark was spotted swimming about 15 feet from a surfer.